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Death of the Fallen: Shadows in the Dark
Prologue Kentus stepped forward, blood gushing from his forhead. Days had gone by, with ruthless work, for he was a slave to Skakdi warriors. He could only dream of becoming something besides a slave and perhaps one day he would. But what makes this story different than others? Kentus wasn't a regular being; he was born to a family known to have mythical powers that allowed them to tackle darkness itself. But was he to be discovered? All this shall be answered, and then more. Now we see his story, as written by himself. Chapter I I watched as the eldest of the Skakdi, Cravok, stepped forward with his whip. He was the one with the coldest soul, and I could sense it. Some reason, I'd had the power to sense darkness my whole life. The Skakdi were an exception, however, because they were not true darkness. I just felt as if they were almost demented, because they had treated me wrong my whole life. I watched as Cravok gritted his rubbish, yellow teeth. "Boy, you see this?!" he pointed at a barrel "You're supposed to have scraped it clean!" he yelled very harshly, while twirling his leather whip, that featured intricate hand-hold stitching. I mumbled that I already had, but it was too late. Cravok grabbed me short of the neck, and slashed me with his whip until I bled hysterically. He threw me down, and the blood gushed into the cold soil. I gritted my teeth and looked up. He was smiling his demented smile with much glee. My fingers slightly curled into a fist as I rose. No Matoran should be treated this way, but ruthless Skakdi tend to do whatever they want. I suppose it could be worse, but I still suffered from all the lashings. My next job would be to take one of my fellow slaves who had recently passed away to Hangman's Hill. The ol' hill once served as a hanging place for criminals, but since became a burial ground. I wish they hadn't of tasked me with the dead, as the hill had always given me the creeps due to the wretched and broken souls that lurked there. As I began approaching the hill, Pento decided to tag along. Pento led the same life as me, slavery since he was small. I suppose all of the slaves have had a hard life, but Pento always seemed to get the worst treatment out of them all, he never went without a good lashing and I sometimes felt sorry for him despite problems of my own. However, neither Pento or I would know what was to come that very day. Chapter II On arriving at Hangman's Hill, I felt a chilling sensation go down my spine. Though the ghasts up on the hill had always frightened me, this was something more. I shivered, but tried my best to ignore the cold chills I was feeling. There surely couldn't be anything besides the old ghasts upon this hill, but I couldn't help but wonder if there actually was something waiting for me. Suddenly I heard a scream from behind me only to find Pento lying face down. I immediately dropped the dead body and rushed toward him. As soon as I reached him, I noticed a large puddle of blood. I turned him over and almost immediately noticed that there were claw marks carved into his face. I froze and twirled around only to find something I had hoped to never see again. Indeed there was something there, a creature with one wing and large claws. Despite its menacing appearance, it wasn't overly big. Suddenly it perched on a tree branch and stared at me. I had witnessed this thing before- but I had always assumed it was a dream. The one bat-like wing began flapping and it somehow made its way down from the tree, slowly crawling toward me with a wicked and demented smile. I began panting desperately, gasping for air. What was this thing and what had it done to Pento? I could never explain this to the Skakdi, either. I had to do something and quickly, but what was I able to do in such a situation? I was just a Matoran and not only that, I was also unarmed. I desperately sprinted backward, bumping into something large and somewhat thick. I realized it was the tree which was once used for hanging. I attempted climbing the tree with success. The creature crawled faster and began flapping its one wing. As it approached, I desperately thought of ideas. Suddenly it dawned on me, there were still remnants of rope in the tree I was currently in. Perhaps I could get the rope around the creature's neck when it got closer. I attempted strangling the creature with the rope when it arrived in the tree, but the rope demolished into dust. Suddenly I leaped from the tree and ran as fast as I could to reach the only weapon around- a thick stick broken from the tree with a very sharp edge. I whacked the creature out of the tree with a simple flick and then stabbed it with the pointed edge. The creature didn't bleed or even scream, it simply vanished. With a sigh of relief I ran as fast as I could toward the Skakdi farmhouse. Knowing that I had not returned with Pento and that they would eventually discover his dead body, I simply eyeballed the farm and turned back. There was no place here for me. I glanced back, surprised no one had been watching us. I could have ran in the first place, but I wouldn't have anywhere to go. At least here I got a meal each day, though it usually consisted of mashed up grubs and occasionally a treat of the Skakdi's leftovers. Some days we got so hungry, the others would try eating the livestock's slop. I never tried this, because I knew the Skakdi would find out eventually and I couldn't afford extra lashings. Running further away, I ventured into an area I had never been to before. Ahead of me was a clearing with a crystal clear stream streaking through it. As I walked through the area, I noticed a small hut off of the clearing hidden in the trees. I slipped through some overgrown shrubbery and made my way to the hut. It appeared to be abandoned, so I went inside and poked around. I found some moldy crackers and some old honey, a delicacy that never spoils. I stuffed the food away and continued looking around. Chapter III As I crept out of the house, I noticed an object glistening in the sun, half buried in a small mound of dirt. I dug around it and found a rusted blade with a sharp tip, perhaps I would need it if the creature were to come back or something else entirely. Though I hoped that wouldn't happen, it is best to be prepared. I grabbed up the blade and went back to the hut so I could wrap it in cloth to protect me from the sharp tip. Inside I noticed an old sheet and upon picking it up found a small golden key lying under it. I picked it up and glared at it quizzically. I then set it down and observed the room, looking for some sort of keyhole. Soon I found a small box with an even smaller lock. I quickly picked it up and tried the key, opening it. Easing open the lid, I found a small picture. I looked at the picture even closer and realized it was a map. Why it would be in a locked box, I hadn't the slightest clue, but I knew that a map could help me greatly if I were to get out of here. Snatching up the map and sheathing the blade in the makeshift cloth cover, I made my way out only to hear the barking of the Skakdi's Bog Wolves, which made me begin running in a frenzy. If they caught up to me, it would be very bad news. Charging ahead I glanced back and noticed Slasher, Cravok's favorite of the Bog Wolves on the farm. Sometimes he would go hunting with it and come back with huge hunks of meat. Of all the wolves, it just had to be Slasher. Running as fast as I could manage, I made it to the edge of the clearing. Three other wolves emerged from the woods and began catching up with the maniacal Slasher, but I had a feeling they were the least of my problems. My spine began chilling and I grew very tense. I halted in fear and stared upward. Above me was another of the one winged creatures or perhaps it was the same one. It lunged forward, but missed my head. It began slashing and tearing at one of the Bog Wolves, drawing the attention of the rest. Before I knew it, two more joined it and took care of the other three wolves. Blood flew and I ran. I ran fast, faster than ever before. I had a feeling darkness was destined to fall. Chapter IV I skidded to a stop and glanced back. The woods went completely silent and I saw something large run by so fast all I managed to make out were its glowing red eyes, which were staring straight at me. Perhaps I was just seeing things, which was very likely considering the previous events of the day. I blinked my eyes for a fraction of a second, only to hear a familiar sound. Glancing toward the source of the odor, I realized that a Bog Wolf had somehow caught up to me. Foam effervesced from its mouth as its steamy breath wafted through the cold air. The creature circled me from a short distance, fire radiating from its eyes. A deep growling emanated from the throat of the beast as it inched forward, closing toward me. The only way to escape this wretched animal would be to outsmart it through some means, but how? The question encroached my head and my heartlight flickered rapidly.